


happy anniversary, darling

by likeanchors



Category: One Direction (Band), Radio 1 RPF
Genre: Anniversary, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-06
Updated: 2012-11-06
Packaged: 2018-01-26 03:19:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1672751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likeanchors/pseuds/likeanchors
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick may have completely forgotten today was his and Louis' anniversary...</p>
            </blockquote>





	happy anniversary, darling

**Author's Note:**

> Kathy asked for this so I wrote it for her.

Kneeling on the living room floor Nick held two records in his hand, mentally weighing up the choice. Harry was splayed across the couch, one leg thrown over the back; eyes closed, tapping out the rhythm to whatever song was stuck in his head. Stretching his arm out, Nick lightly tapped Harry’s shin with the corner of one of the record sleeves to get his attention. Holding up the two records, Nick raised one before lowering and repeated the action while saying, “The Beatles or Washed Out?”

 

“The Stones,” Harry murmured, his fingers stilling on his stomach. “What time are you meeting Lou?”

 

Nick was already rifling through his records, “Between Buttons or A Bigger Bang? Classic Stones could set the mood for the evening, mind.” Nick dragged the two records off of the shelf and stared down at the covers. “Lou’s out.”

 

“I’d go with Buttons, but Lou’s not really a fan of The Stones, mate.”

 

Glancing over his shoulder, Nick frowned at Harry. “Okay?” Louis was out so Nick failed to see how the two of them listening to The Rolling Stones would have any effect on Louis.

 

Confusion seemed to settle over the room; Nick and Harry staring at each other from equably uncomfortable positions. Something must have clicked in Harry’s head though because he started laughing, deep and uncontrollable, and fell back against the sofa cushions.

 

“You’ve completely forgotten, haven’t you?” Harry asked, gasping for breath. “Oh, God, Lou’s going to lose it.”

 

“What the actual fuck are you talking about, Styles?” Nick snapped, unimpressed and slightly worried that he had indeed forgotten something he really shouldn’t have.

 

Harry took two deep breaths and sat up. Reaching out he lightly patted the top of Nick’s head and looked at Nick like he was a small child who hadn’t quite grasped the gravity of the situation. “You know what today is, right?”

 

“My day off.” Nick huffed, obviously annoyed now.

 

Rolling his eyes, Harry pulled his phone from under his thigh and quickly tapped at the screen, the hint of a smirk on his lips when he looked back up at Nick. “Or perhaps it’s your anniversary?”

 

“No,” Nick said, an automatic response. Sitting back on his heels, Nick ran his fingers through his floppy curls and racked his brain. He and Louis had started officially seeing each other in February, hadn’t they? Yeah, because they’d had that huge blow out at the beginning of January when Nick had been irritable because of the throat infection from hell and they hadn’t talked for a few weeks. Pressing his hand to his forehead Nick felt his stomach drop. The reason they’d been fighting is because Louis had wanted to know what their relationship was and Nick hadn’t wanted to define it.

 

“Oh, fuck me sideways,” Nick whispered, punching Harry in the thigh when he snorted and chuckled out a ‘Nah, not my type, mate.’ Louis wasn’t just going to be angry. He’d be hurt and pretend he wasn’t to save face, which from Nick’s point of view was twice as bad. “Help me,” Nick yelped, his fingers twisting in Harry’s t-shirt as he tried to anchor himself to something.

 

“You’re going to owe us, Grimmy,” Harry chortled, ruffling Nick’s hair.

 

**

 

Niall was the first to arrive. He was ladened with bags of groceries, all manner of foods and a bottle of what looked like red wine poking out of the overfilled green bags. “I can’t believe you actually forgot your own anniversary,” Niall chuckled, setting the bags on the floor in the kitchen. “Lou’s been going about nothing else all week.”

 

Nick didn’t even think it was possible to feel even worse about this whole thing until then. Harry looked up from behind the laptop and flashed a grin at Nick. Grousing under his breath, Nick continued vacuuming, pushing Puppy out of the way when she started barking at the brush thing on the floor. Harry was far too entertained by this turn of events for his own good.

 

Flicking the Hoover off, Nick quickly bundled it into the cupboard and glared at Harry. “I thought you were going to help me.”

 

“I am helping you. Niall got the groceries so you can cook Louis a nice meal, there’s beer and a bottle of champers in the fridge, Liam’s bringing flowers and Zayn’s getting you a cake.” Shrugging, Harry closed the laptop and stood up. “Helpful Hazza to the rescue.”

 

Nick stood there and watched Harry slip his phone into his pocket and shrug his jacket on. “Where are you going?” Nick asked, panic roiling in his stomach. “You can’t leave me!”

 

“Calm yourself, man, I’ll be back. I’ve just got to go do something,” Harry murmured, shaking his head at Nick’s antics.

 

Pushing both hands through his hair, Nick looked up at the clock and huffed out a breath. He had three hours to turn what Niall had brought into the perfect meal.

 

**

 

Somehow Nick had managed to pull it all together. The lasagne was in the oven, nice little side salad in the fridge to keep it from wilting, garlic bread waiting to go in the oven. The table set with candles and the flowers Liam had dropped off earlier. Nick had managed to shower and change into a nice pair of denims and that black button-up that Louis seemed to really like on him. He’d even managed to style his hair just how Louis seemed to really like; quiff pushed to the side and falling into his eyes.

 

“Why am I not surprised to find you looking at yourself in a mirror?” Louis asked, appearing from nowhere and flopping onto his back on the bed. Louis was grinning up at him but all Nick could do was stare down at Louis with something akin to horror in his eyes.

 

“Where did you come from?”

 

“My mum. Doncaster. Hanging out with Stan, take your pick,” Louis crooned, using his legs to pull Nick towards him. “You look nice.”

 

Smiling for the first time since Harry had reminded him what today was, Nick wrapped one hand around Louis’ thigh and ran his thumb back and forth. “So do you.”

 

They stood like that for a few moments smiling dopily at each other before Nick unhooked Louis’ ankles from where they were locked behind his back and started towards the door. “Dinner’ll be ready in about five minutes if you want to change and come down?” Nick sang over his shoulder.

 

Stopping in the living room, Nick popped one of the mix cd’s he made for Louis on before wandering into the kitchen. He had timed everything perfectly so that all he had to do was put the garlic bread in the oven and then everything was ready. Therefore the last thing Nick expected to see was dull black smoke slowly creeping out of his oven.

 

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Nick hissed. Turning his face away, Nick opened the door and waited a moment before peering inside. The top of the lasagne closely resembled congealed charcoal. Slamming the oven door closed, Nick jumped when he heard Louis ask, “What’s going on here then?”

 

Slumping against the counter, Nick looked up at the table and then at Louis who was wearing one of Nick’s white shirts and a pair of dark grey trousers. Louis ducked his head to meet Nick’s eyes and pouted slightly out of what Nick interpreted as sympathy before stepping into the kitchen. Nick couldn’t help the wry smile when he saw Louis’ bare toes peeking out from the hem of his trousers.

 

“I was just trying to make it perfect,” Nick grumbled when Louis’ arms slipped around his waist. “I must’ve turned the oven up instead of turning it down to keep it warm.”

 

Louis smirked and Nick felt like kicking him. Louis couldn’t even make toast, he had no right to judge him.

 

“Why?” Louis asked, a hint of  amusement in his voice.

 

“Why, what?” Nick sighed, closing his eyes and letting his head hit the cupboard behind him.

 

“Why are you trying to make things perfect? Why is the table set? Why are we dressed nicely?” Louis started ticking things off of his fingers. “Why are there flowers? And I saw a  cake on the counter, Nicholas, so what’s going on?”

 

Nick’s forehead furrowed and he gaped at Louis. Louis couldn’t have forgotten! Niall said he’d been talking about it all week. “It’s our anniversary?”

 

Louis’s face did this thing where it fell and lit up before a slow smile crept across his lips that stole Nick’s breath away. “You remembered,” Louis breathed.

 

Nodding, Nick leant in and pressed a kiss to the corner of Louis’ lips, “Course I did,” he murmured before kissing Louis properly. Sure he’d needed some prompting from Harry, but in the end he’d remembered. Louis laughed and pulled away, carefully cupping Nick’s face in his hands. They both stared at each other for a few moments before Louis shook his head and smiled fondly before he pulled away.

 

“You’d better call up the Chinese around the corner, then,” Louis said, disappearing into the living room. “I’ll have the duck lo mein and some of those spring roll things I always pinch off your plate.”

 

“Where are you going?” Nick called out, phone to his ear listening to it ring.

 

Louis’ head popped around the corner with a relaxed smile. “You’ll see.”

 

After quickly rattling off their order Nick followed Louis into the living room. In almost no time at all Louis had lit an array of candles and turned the sofa into a nest of blankets and pillows. Frowning, Nick turned to look at Louis who looked rather pleased with himself.

 

“But, I laid the table all nice,” Nick groused.

 

Louis nodded slowly before stepping closer to Nick. “I know, but, before you get too upset, I was thinking we could eat in here and watch something on the telly and cuddle. It’d be a bit romantic, yeah?”

 

**

 

Much later, when the credits were rolling and Louis was half asleep with the tiniest hint of a smile on his face, Nick pulled the blankets up around Louis and held him tighter. Surrounded by burnt out candles, take-away containers and the faint smell of burned cheese, Nick felt disappointment tug at his gut. Louis rolled over and made himself comfortable, his head heavy against Nick’s chest.

 

“You’re a right catch, Grimshaw,” Louis mumbled, yawning against Nick’s shirt.

 

“Ha ha, very funny,” Nick said under his breath, trying not to feel offended since there was no bite to Louis’ words.

 

“No, really.” Louis lifted his head and looked up at Nick, his fingers brushing gently against Nick’s cheek before he dropped his head sleepily against Nick’s chest again. “You cooked me dinner and you scrub up nice and you sat through _He’s Just Not That Into You_ for me,” Louis’s voice dropped to a whisper. “And you got me those stupid socks that look like plimsolls and that limited edition Yorkshire tea caddy I wanted so that’s pretty much a win for you, babe.”

 

Nick could feel the goofy grin pushing his lips upwards and he scooted down a bit so he could bury his face in Louis’ hair. He owed Harry big time for the presents and for getting the other boys to help out. Louis was unimpressed with being shifted and made a low whining sound in the back of his throat which stopped when Nick rubbed slow, gentle circles on his back.

 

The next morning Nick woke with a sharp pain in his lower back from lying twisted on the sofa all night and the sleepy feeling of contentment. Louis shuffled and buried himself tighter into Nick’s side. Everything might not have gone to Nick’s hastily made plans yesterday, but all things considered it was probably one of the better nights in they’d had.

 


End file.
